CHICAGO MEDIA ACTION NEWSLETTER: October 1, 2007
http://www.chicagomediaaction.org
In this month's newsletter...
* Chicago speaks out: No to big media, Yes to increased media ownership by women and people of color
* Demand an independent Minority Ownership Task Force on media
* 2009 digital TV broadcast conversion train wreck approaching for the elderly?
* Verizon Wireless violates network neutrality, the guiding principle of the Internet, then reverses itself
(1) CHICAGO FCC HEARING COVERAGE
Congratulations Chicago! Over 800 attended the 8 hour long FCC hearing at the Chicago Rainbow/PUSH headquarters on September 20th. Nearly 200 concerned citizens read their own two-minute anti-big media speeches into the public record, while a few handfuls of broadcast industry representatives fooled nobody with their speeches. Several friends of CMA were on the two diverse, community-oriented official panels as well. Many local corporate media outlets covered the hearing, no doubt shamed by the paltry local broadcast ownership statistics for women and people of color.
* Major cracks have recently been observed in the Tribune Company's facade. Under the FCC's current grandfathering and temporary waiver policies, the Tribune Company will have to divest a number of its broadcast holdings before its proposed sale to Sam Zell. The Tribune Company is seeking reversal of the policies, but unusually, its media columnist Phil Rosenthal gave equal footing to both sides of this debate in a recent article. Read more:
http://tinyurl.com/2ounsm
* CHICAGO: "Yo, Mister FCC! MISTER FCC! MISTER FCC!"
http://tinyurl.com/2fjwce
* Is Chicago being served? "The answer is no!" says Silvia Rivera, General Manager, WRTE-FM, RadioArté (audio file)
http://www.freepress.net/docs/chi_rivera.mp3
* The Chicago FCC hearing was the topic of last week's installment of the "Mediageek" radio program hosted by digital media production educator Paul Riismandel out of Champaign's WEFT-FM. CMA's Scott Sanders provides the recap:
http://radio.mediageek.net/?p=288
* A big peace symbol is visible on the CMA van in the background of a news standup by Chicago station WBBM that was filmed outside the hearing:
http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_263233103.html
Three more views of the CMA van and lyrics heard emanating from it:
http://themediastructurefailed.zoomshare.com/files/cma_van_009.jpg
http://themediastructurefailed.zoomshare.com/files/cma_van_003.jpg
http://themediastructurefailed.zoomshare.com/files/cma_van_001.jpg
http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Frank-Zappa/I-m-The-Slime.html
* CMA's Mitchell Szczepanczyk appeared on the weekly satellite TV show "Upfront with Jesse Jackson".
* Lot's of hearing stuff here: http://www.stopbigmedia.com/=chicago
(2) SUGGESTED ACTIONS
* The FCC can no longer wait to take proactive steps when the future of minority ownership is in jeopardy because of media consolidation. During the Sep. 20 FCC media ownership hearing in Chicago, Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein called for the creation of an independent Minority Ownership Task Force to examine and recommend proposals to increase the number of minority broadcast owners.
Today is the deadline to take action on commissioner Adelstein's call:
http://www.freepress.net/fcc/comment.php?dn=diversity
* Want a new, full power, non-commercial radio station in the McHenry
County area or the SW Chicago burbs? For more information:
http://prometheusradio.org/full_power
http://www.radioforpeople.org/
* How does someone start a radio station? And why would anyone want to?
http://tinyurl.com/39v7hu
* Demand low power FM legislation: http://www.freepress.net/lpfm
(3) WHAT'S NEW IN MEDIA POLITICS?
* Government officials and watchdogs warned that the nation's switch from analog to digital television could leave many elderly citizens with unworkable television sets.
http://tinyurl.com/2wf736
* A U.S. Government agency has issued its first approval of a digital-to-analog converter box, the device that will allow analog set owners to continue to watch free over-the-air broadcast TV after the national switch to digital-only broadcasting Feb. 17, 2009.
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/09/first_digital_tv_converter_box.php
* From the ramparts: The Corporate Media and O.J. Simpleton
http://tinyurl.com/3xezjb
* A subscriber directs us to the unusual libel suit and counter-suit involving the Kane County Chronicle, its former columnist Bill Paige, Chief Justice Bob Thomas and the Illinois Supreme Court as parties. Background here:
http://tinyurl.com/2jcprc
(4) PUBLIC MEDIA NEWS
Public access TV slashed & burned in Northwest Indiana. Comcast letter:
http://rghm.wordpress.com/2007/09/26/comacst-hoses-hoosiers/
(5) FACT OF THE MONTH
Verizon Wireless violated network neutrality, the defining principle of the Internet. Then, it admitted its mistake; reversing course, the giant telecommunications corporation announced on 9/27/07 that it would allow an abortion rights group to send text messages to its supporters on Verizon’s mobile network.
http://tinyurl.com/2jw2dt
(6) QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"No one is going to announce on TV that the U.S. is no longer a superpower."
-- Charley Reese, from his article "The Empire Is Over"
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18479.htm
(7) WEBSITE OF THE MONTH -- New American Media
New American Media’s goal is to promote the editorial visibility and economic viability of ethnic American journalism as a way to build inclusive public discourse in our increasingly diverse, global society. NAM produces and aggregates editorial content from and for the ethnic media sector and develops pioneering marketing services on behalf of corporations, foundations, and non-profits who are targeting ethnic media and ethnic communities.
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/
*** *** *** *** *** *** ***
This is an email from Chicago Media Action, a Chicago activist
group devoted to media issues.
This newsletter is edited by Scott Sanders and Mitchell Szczepanczyk.
Chicago Media Action, P.O. Box 14140, Chicago IL 60614-0140
Call toll-free: 1-866-260-7198
Web: http://www.chicagomediaaction.org
E-mail: cma@chicagomediaaction.org